the fake Kerry pictures

[JI7]

has anyone seen the threads that show Freepers are photoshopping Kerry from his recent visit with the troops. the photoshop is awful and you can tell it's fake. but of course stupid freepers don't care and want to believe it anyways.

here are a couple threads on it

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2986360


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2986183

there is a nice post in one of the threads by someone who knows someone who was there and what really happened.

[wisteria]

1. This junk prove how stupid freepers are. Our troops are smarter than this junk. n/t

[JI7]

2. i think the person who did the photoshop

was angry at the images of Kerry meeting the troops and that they actually liked Kerry. so he decides to do this.

[karynnj]

3. Do you think the freepers heads would explode if they saw this news item?

Marines who liked Kerry enough to joke with him at a bar and give him Tequila. (link stolen from Welovejohnkerry.com)

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/washingtonwhispers/061119/these_marines_forgive_and_forg.htm

[_dynamicdems]

29. Even if the image isn't manipulated, the interpretation obviously is.

It isn't even necessary to debunk this as a photoshop. As any first-year film student knows, it is easy to use montage to create the impression of something happening by using a succession of images. The same principle applies to a still photograph. Anyone who has ever attended an art photography show understands how imagery can be used to make a statement.

Taking a photograph of Senator Kerry when there were empty chairs around him gives the impression of isolation. However, this is an amateur attempt at best. First, he's sitting with at least two other people and is obviously engaged in a conversation. The other thing is that the darkness of the photograph obscures the fact there there are many empty chairs throughout the room. The table behind Kerry is occupied (from what can be seen in this photo) by a single individual in a military uniform. Does this mean that this troop is being ostracized by his peers?

The entire thing is foolish and desperate. The neocons will do anything to avoid talking about the real issues.

[kerrygoddess]

30. Good points

Similar to what I said on the Dem Daily. Maybe the photo was taken after others left the table and there stuff was cleared away. A number of scenario's possible and they wingnuts made up their own.

[karynnj]

31. Right - the real counter is that there are other photos

of soldiers with him. They actually had the harder side to prove - to say the soldiers shunned him, you would need either a photos where Kerry was clearly being shunned - ie Kerry speaking and the soldiers en masse turning their back to him (which this isn't - he's clearly with a group largely cut out.) or you would have to have NO photos where Kerry and the soldiers looked ok together.

[beachmom]

32. Somebody in the Kos diary pointed out something hilarious

I'm not giving the link, but Michelle Malkin has been working overtime on this "story", and zealously wanted to prove TPM and others wrong about the photo not being real. Problem is, she posted the picture of Kerry WITH the troops to show him wearing the same shirt. So in proving her point that the photo was, in fact, legit, she completely debunked the overarching point -- that the troops shunned Kerry. Really, really classic, is all I can say!!

[karynnj]

33. I didn't see that! That is perfect

sort of "See it is the same room - look at lunch!" The lunch picture was good - it looked like Kerry and the troops were having a serious converstion - which in some ways better than a picture where they are smiling posed for a camera. The fact that their expressions mirror each other shows something.

[MH1]

4. This post is interesting.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2986360&mesg_id=2986509

It seems someone discovered that the picture was actually taken January 9, 2006, according to the camera it was taken with.

Kerry was in London on January 9, 2006, headed off for a trip to the Mid East, including Iraq.

http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=1604

Is it possible that pic was taken in London? (note the big Brit flag). Or, is it more likely that the camera date was off a day or two, than by 11 months?

[JI7]

5. i don't believe Kerry was actually in that brit flag pic

i think someone took an image of Kerry meeting with the troops and inserted into that british pic.

we have seen the real images of Kerry meeting with the soldiers and they are all nice.

[sandnsea]

6. Plus all the waiters

Do you think they really have waiters, all dressed up in black and white, in Baghdad?? Yours is the most likely explanation, that and it was either an early or late meal, considering all the waiters were standing together.

[Dr Ron]

7. Reutergate

The amusing thing is that the right wing blogosphere has been making a big deal about faked pictures by a Reuters stringer earlier in the year. They were right to expose the fakes, but they continue to attack Reuters over this despite the fact that Reuters fired the exposed photographer. After making such a big deal over photoshopped pictures it interesting that they have no qualms about spreading faked pictures when it suits their own purposes.

[Dr Ron]

23. How George Buswh would have handled this

There are a number of theories going around about this picture which I note at this post. More importantly, I show how George Bush would have handled this problem:

http://liberalvaluesblog.com/?p=816

[demdiva]

8. Here's some proof

I messed around with the pic posted in photoshop a bit, but DID NOT ALTER ANY OF THE CONTENT. All I did was grab pieces of it to view. It's a clear fake.

In the first pic you can tell the area around Kerry was cut out of another picture and pasted there. It's in large contrast to the rest of the picture. And in the second picture you can tell that the area around his head was smoothed out...it can be difficult to cut around hair because it doesn't have a sharp line.

[TayTay]

9. On Jan 9th, 2006, Sen. Kerry was in London

Although, since the time difference is 5 or 6 hours, it could have been recorded as the 10th in London. (Depends on whether or not the camera was adjusted.)


Kerry leaves for 12-day trip to Mideast, Asia and Europe
AP Alert - PoliticalAP Alert - Media (01-09-2006)


WASHINGTON_Sen. John Kerry left Monday for a 12-day overseas trip to the Middle East, Asia and Europe where he will focus on issues ranging from the war in Iraq to global health problems.

His stops will include Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Jordan, Kuwait, Israel, England and India.

Kerry will meet in Iraq next week with Gen. George Casey, commander of coalition forces. He will also visit with Iraqi government officials and Massachusetts troops who are stationed near Ramadi.

His first stop is Tuesday in London to meet with British intelligence officials and Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown. Kerry will spend most of this week in India where he hopes to meet with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as well as business leaders and AIDS patients.

The senator will tour earthquake devastation in Balakot, Pakistan on Saturday before heading to Afghanistan on Monday to meet with U.S. troops and government officials.

Kerry has a meeting planned next week with Israel's Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as well as former prime minister Simon Peres before he travel on to Iraq.

[Island Blue]

10. I can't see the photos you posted.

Only two small boxes with red x's. (I right clicked and hit "show pictures" but that didn't bring them up either). Is anyone else having the same problem? I really would be interesed in seeing them Demdiva.

[rox63]

11. Me either :( n/t

[demdiva]

13. ohh it was working before...i'll try again

[demdiva]

16. I should explain the first photo

Every photo really has several layers of color, depending on the type of photo (CMYK or RGB). All I did was grab the "blue" layer and it's pretty obvious this is two photos photoshopped together. They have to completely different light sources.

[kerrygoddess]

25. Wouldn't there be

layers in the photo data if it were photoshopped? Nothing shows up in the data, I checked it. I'm inclined to think the photo was taken towards the end of the meal, when others had already left the table.

[demdiva]

35. No you can flatten an image

In fact an image has to be flattened to be a *.jpg so you wouldn't see any evidence of multiple layers in the photo file.

[demdiva]

14. Let's try again. Are they working???

hmmm....it works in preview but not in the post

Can you get to the links of the photos ok????

?imgmax=512
?imgmax=512

[beachmom]

15. Nope -- and I'm "forbidden" to go to those google links. Weird. nt

[demdiva]

Rats. I may have to share or something. Give me a minute.

[demdiva]

17. http://picasaweb.google.com/DemDiva2

Can you go right to it?

http://picasaweb.google.com/DemDiva2

[ProSense]

12. TMP Muckraker has more:

More Right-Wing Blog Fun with Iraq War E-mails

[demdiva]

18. Thanks. That's really interesting. nt

[beachmom]

21. Please help out on the TPM thread!! It's been overrun by

right wingers. But don't just talk about the story -- defend Kerry, too. They're saying nasty things there.

[rox63]

22. Yes, please take a minute to post some JK support here

on the TPM thread: http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/002245.php

[ProSense]

24. Thanks Beachmom.

I posted a comment. The wingnuts are hysterical!

[beachmom]

19. I just found a diary on this

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/12/28/113944/82

Now even a right winger on Powerline is debunking this bogus story:

This article is half the truth. My friend told me more details and was there.

Kerry apparently showed up during the last 10 minutes of when the chow hall was open. So there were not so many people there to begin with. Additionallly he had a crowd of security surrounding him and I dont believe his intentions in that chow hall were to greet the troops based upon the real facts. Additionally the military folks in the mess hall would not have felt comfortable approaching him in these surroundings. That doesn’t necessarily paint the picture in the article.

Finally - this is typical treatment for famous people there.

Don’t get me wrong - I don’t like his politics but this isn’t factual reporting according to my sources (which are my friends not second hand spew from reporters making money).

[wisteria]

20. A truthful RW. I am very happy to read this.

This type of nonsense is getting old- especially when we all have serious issues to tackle.

[beachmom]

26. My take: the photo is real, the story is bogus

I'm going offline for a while, but I think saying it's not a real photo or isn't in Iraq is a dead end debunking tactic, and unfortunately, SHE has gone to great lengths to squelch that argument. It's the story that is false.

I've commented in multiple places about that. JMO.

[kerrygoddess]

28. I agree - Posted my take on the Dem Daily

I messed with the photo in photoshop - I don't think it was doctored. The story is just hype. I posted my take a while ago here - http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=5013

[demdiva]

36. I'm not positive about the photo either way honestly

I think the lighting in the photo is awkward which makes me think it's doctored, but either way you're right ... the story is obviously false and that's the most important part. The only reason I think it's important to prove that the photo is false is because it shows the lengths these guys will go to to trash Senator Kerry.

[wisteria]

37. I still question the picture. It looks like Kerry is talking to someone

who isn't there. But, I as much as I would like to call them out on this story and the pictures, I have concerns about bring it up because it will bring attention again to the botched joke/anti soldier nonsense. I think they know this and that is why they decided to belittle him with this cheap shot.

[beachmom]

38. I agree, Wisteria about not bringing this thing up. I'm only responding

to posts about it to get in the other side, that in fact the troops did NOT shun Kerry on his trip to Iraq. But I'm certainly not going to trumpet this thing. It's just a stupid, stupid story.

[wisteria]

39. Exactly! I responded also on a site or two. n/t

[globalvillage]

27. Well, that the original poster of the photo

http://benofmesopotamia.blogspot.com/2006/12/schaudenfraude-or-john-kerry-visits.html

appears to be a former bush speech writer

Ben of Mesopotamia is a Harvard PhD and Presidential speechwriter called back to Active Duty for Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is currently serving as a U.S. Army Captain in Iraq. All opinions expressed herein are the author's alone, and do not express or reflect the opinion of the United States Armed Forces or the Bush administration.

does seem to suggest a bit of an agenda.

You would think in the interest of full disclosure he might divulge that little piece of info.

[beachmom]

34. New TPM post up, acknowledging photo is real

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/002249.php

Maybe a good opportunity (since there are only 2 comments right now) to show some Kerry love. Thanks.

[TayTay]

40. Carpetbagger checks in on this

and is dead right. Read the comments here: LOL!

http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/9471.html#more-9471

[ProSense]

41. LOL! Thanks! n/t

[wisteria]

42. It was funny, some of the comments were too.

Especially the one about the troops being upset because he didn't bring them a plastic turkey.